Tank-car.



L. E. EVENS.

TANK CAR.

APYLIOATION FILED FEB. 1, 1913.

1,081 ,032, Patented Dec.9, 1913.

2 BHEETSSHEET 1.

m-f Aw witnesses: Inventor,

Attorney,

Zaz'tnzslsea:

L. E. EVENS.

TANK OAR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 191sv 1,081,032, I Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

0 00000 Q'QOOOO'OG $0 0 0 fnuentov",

Attorna g.

UNITED STATES PATENT onniou'.

LEO E. EVENS, OF WATERLOO, IOWA, ASSIGNOR- OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN A. CUTLER, OF

OSAGE, IOWA.

' TANK-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 1, 1913. Serial No. 745,714. I

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, LEO E. EVENS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of l/Vaterloo, Blackhawk county, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tank-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in tank cars, and the object of my improvements is to so construct and form a liquidcarrying receptacle or tank and its transportation means or supporting trucks, as to not only render both while in cooperation strong and well connected, butalso to prevent the car and its tank from being capsized when moved about a curve in the way,

by forming the tank suitably to lower its Another objectis to so form the ends of the tank as to further effect a loweringof the center of gravity, to add to the stability of the same.

These objects I have accomplished by themeans which are described and claimed hereinafter, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railway tank car embodying my improved principles of construction. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of said car, on an enlarged scale, taken along the line a-b of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow in the latter figure. Fig. 3 is a broken perspective detail of one end of my baffling-device for minimizing wave motion in the tank. Fig. 4 is a broken perspective detail of one end of another form of bathing-device adapted for a similar purpose.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

My object is to deviate from the type of tank cars in general use on railways, which are of the cylindrical horizontal form, mounted andelevated upon and above carrying Wheeled trucks, and being raised to a considerable andunsafe distance from the bearing rails of the road. I design my tank to have a form which will have a lower center of gravity than the cylindric type mentioned, which thus renders the tank more stable when oscillated in its progress in a train.

My improved tank 1 is composed of plates secured together by rivets in the usual way, and having closed ends 19 and 24, said closed ends, however, being formed slantingly for a purpose to be described hereinafter. Referring particularly to Fig. 2, which is a transverse section of said tank 1, it will be perceived that the form is triangular, the sides and angles being rounded to conserve continuity and strength, the sides being really nearly arcs of ellipses, with the apex at the top. The whole tank therefore takes on the aspect of a pyramidal form, known to be the stablest type. The volume of the tank may be as desired, but in practice will be the same as that found best for transportation in' the cylindric type of tank. The tank 1 is provided near each end on its under side with fixed transverse bolsters 2 adapted to be seated movably upon the truck-bolsters 3, with the body-bolster chafing-bodies 26 of greater width supported on the truckbolster chafing body 27 of the same width medially of their lengths, and pivotally connected by their center-pins not here shown. The body-bolster 2, however, is seated in direct contact with the chafing-body part 27 of the truck-bolster 3, its extremities being spaced away from the truck-bolster, but

' raised blocks 28 are fixedon the upper surface of the truck-bolster near its ends, and closer but not in direct contact with the endportions 28 of the body-bolster 2. the said blocks .28 are mounted the antifriction rollers 30, upon which the lower surface of the part 29 of the body-bolster 2 rests movably. r

It will be observed that the body-bclster2 is curved to fit over the elliptic bottom of the tank 1, and in fact is extended so far upwardly and outwardly that it in effect cradles the tank, its ends projecting laterally nearly to the side angles of the tank, which Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

. places. The bearings 30 being located so far thus afi'ords a support which is in turn braced almost under its ends 29 by the rollers 30 on the blocks 29. The bolster is of a thick and continuous form, being at all points integral and able to withstand any shock withoutbreaking at lessened or weaker apart, in fact being directly over the wheels, the stability of the tank is greatly increased over the cylindric type of tank, whose bolster must necessarily be located much lower below the tankls center of gravity, also being narrower and more stilted, and therefore i more liable to be overturned by oscillations of comparatively small extent laterally.

Since the elliptic bottom of my tank 1 is its broader limit, and its elliptic body-bolarched about its'center chafing-body 27. The

lower part of the body-bolster '2 being of similar form, fits down into the concavity of the bolster 3, and is limited thereby laterally, so that the oblique inwardly and downwardly directed upper surfaces of the bolster 3 tend to embrace the convexity of the bolster 2 above to prevent displacement. of the one from the other laterally. The upper faces, of the blocks 29 and of their rollers being also similarly inclined, the bolster 2 rides thereupon freely in turning, while being prevented thereby from lateral displacement. In this manner the bottom of the tank 1 is brought to a minimum distance from the rails 31, adding to its stability.

Aside'from said structural features of the carrying-means, the triangular or pyramidal form of the tank itself is a causeof its greater stability, as compared with the cylindric type of tank. This is due to the fact, that when partially filled, or filled nearly to its top, the tank in rolling laterally, having its top portion of narrower dimensions does not tend to carry over laterally as large a quantity of the contents as the cylindric tank, wherein there is more space at the top of the tank for the wave motion of the contents. The sides of the tank 1 as they approach each other to its vertex, constantly narrow in such a way as to leave the major part of such contents in the lower part of the tank, the Center of gravity being thus much lower than the center of gravity of a cylindric tank. This means, in effect, that when the tank is tilted to one side in rounding a curve, that the low-placedtriangular tank 1 will have its lower center of gravity displaced a less distance from its vertical line passing from the middle of the interspace of the rails 31, andbe the less liable to tip over, while the wave motion of the contents at its top is more restricted by its more closely approximated walls. The wide bearings of the body-bolster 2 accentuates this stability by bracing the tank at as great a distance as possible from its center upon the truck-bolster.

The sloping. f the tank-ends or heads 19 and 2% downwardly and outwardly, in the same way, restricts the volume of the top of the tank by adding to the volume of the lower part of the tank, to further lower its center of gravity. The sloping heads also being interposed at such an angle in the path of a wave moving longitudinally, tend to present more resistance to the wave and graduate its shock. The tank is provided in the usual way with a dome 22 having a removable cap :23, at its top, and with a drainage vent 21 at its bottom. Upon the top of the tank is laid a foot-way 6, with a hand railing S alongside of it, supported on standards 7, and approached by means of end ladders 20.

In order tofurther minimize the wave motion of the liquid contents of the tank, I have placed in the tank certain baffling-devices, which are best disclosed in the Fig. 3. The device comprises plates 4 and 5 which are placed together in a position resembling the limbs of a letter A, and either connected integrally at the top as shown in Fig. 3, or being separated as shown in Fig. 2, in the latter case the tops of the plates are flanged outwardly .with the flanges secured to the tank by rivets. The lower ends of the plates are also flanged at 11, with the flanges secured to the lower angles of the tank by rivets 25. In the battling-device shown in Fig. 3, the plates 4 and 5 are provided with a plurality of orifices 10, which may be of any size, form or number, but as shown are larger at the bottom and gradually diminishing in size near the top,'which is preferable, since the maximum wave motion of the fluid contents is located near the top of the tank, where the bathing eflectof the plates should be greatest, the orifices 10, however, permitting a somewhat gradual shifting of said contents. The retarding effect .of the said battling-plates is such, as to hold back the contents long enough, to prevent a sudden entire shift, and thus prevent an overturning of the tank, due to the sudden change in load as the car is tilted laterally. The bathing-plates thus divide the liquid contents into virtually three distinct portions relative to each other, since each portion will have its own proper wave-motion laterally or longitudinally,much less in extent than if there were no such means used, and insuflicient to efi'ect the stability of the car. The said battling-plates retard the longitudinal wave motion by frictional-contact, and also by the fact that the division of the interior space of the tank into three spaces of difl'erent volumes, changes the rate of progress of the waves or shifting of contents therein, since the liquid in the larger inner space between such plates moves more rapidly and arrives at the car. end first, and thus the shock is graduated more than if the entire contents shifted simultaneously.

The baffling-device shown in Fig. l, is similar in principle, but ll'have restricted the widths of the plates 12 and 1.3 vertically to about one half of the plates 4: and 5, and have placed the circular orifices 14: therein of the same size, but less frequent approaching the top. The plates 12 and 13 are secured to supporting standards 15 and 16, whose ends are bent over suitably at 17 and 18 and then riveted to the inner parts of the tank 1. In this device free movement of the contents is permitted under the plates 12 and 13, since there is but little wave motion there, or shifting laterally compared to the upper part of thetank. The plates 12 and 13, however, eifectually'baflle the wave motion in the top of the tank.

It is obvious that the construction of the parts of my said invention may be more or the increased stability and strength of the structure and its freedom from top-heaviness.

'Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. -Atank car, comprising carrying-means,

and a tank supported thereon, whose lower portion is wider than its upper portion and longitudinally dished.

v 2. Atank car, comprising carrying-means, and a tank supported thereon, whose lower portion is of greater capacity than its upper portion and longitudinally dished in its entire width.

3. Atank car, comprising carrying-means, and a tank supportedthereon, having a triangular prismoidal form.

4. A tank car, comprising carrying=means, and a tank supported thereon, having a triangular prismoidal form with its side walls and their connecting parts at the side outwardly curved.

5. A tank car, comprising .carrying-means,j

and a tank supported thereon, having a triangular prismatic form, with its ends sloped downwardly outwardly.

6. A tank car, comprising a tank having triangular prismatic formwith vertex di' rected upwardly and with downwardly bowed bottom, and carrying-means therefor.

7. A tank car, comprising a tank having a triangular prismatic form with downwardly curved bottom, wheeled trucks disposed thereunder provided with downwardlybowed cross-bolsters, said tank having secured to its under curved bottom crossbolsters conformed thereto and medially pivotally seated on said truck-bolsters.

8. A tank car, comprising a tank whose lower half is of greater volume than its upper half and broader transversely, wheeled trucks located under said tank and provided with downwardly-bowed cross-bolsters, body bolsters secured across the bottom of said tank and medially pivoted to said truck-bolsters with their ends spaced apart therefrom, anti-friction rollers rotatably supported on said truck-bolsters near their ends, the end portions of said body-bolsters being movably seated upon saidrollers.

9. A. tankv car,

comprising movable wheeled trucks having cros's-bolstersbowed downwardly, downwardly-bowed body bolsters pivotally supported on said truck-bolsters, and a tank having its bottom bowed to fit upon said body-bolsters and fixedlysupported thereon.

10. A tank car, comprising movable wheeled trucks having downwardly-bowed cross-bolsters, downwardly-bowed bodybolsters pivotally seated on.said truck-bolsters, but spaced apart therefrom at the ends,

anti-friction rollers mounted rotatably on the bowed parts of said truck-bolsters near their ends, the ends of said body-bolsters being movably seated on said rollers, a tank seated .upon and secured to said body-bolsters, having a broadened lower portion over whose under surface the body-bolsters are extended in a supporting position.

11. A tank car, trucks, a tank pivotally mounted thereon and having a form broadened at the base and longitudinally dished adapted to locate the center of gravity of the tank in the lower portion thereof, and bolsters supporting said tank movably on said trucks, the ends of said bolsters being carried across the broadened base of the tank to support it beyond the limits of the tread of the truck wheels thereunder. i v

' Signed at Waterloo, Iowa, this 29th day of J an. 1913.

LEO E. EVENS. Witnesses:

WIRT P. Hoxm, G. G. KENNEDY.

comprlsing wheeled 

